Mattress handle press



Nov. 20, 1962 c. s. SPINNEY 3,064,264

MATTRESS HANDLE PRESS Filed June 13, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 11' :ijjfj: :iiijfji L fit 1i 7 7 "I; J4 3 0 4 w INVENTOR. (M12616?! BY MM *M Nov. 20, 1962 c. s. SPINNEY MATTRESS HANDLE PRESS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 13, 1961 Nov. 20, 1962 c. s. SPINNEY 3,064,264

MATTRESS HANDLE PRESS Filed June 15, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Nov. 20, 1962 c. s. SPINNEY MATTRESS HANDLE PRESS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 13, 1961 I 1 I L Nov. 20, 1962 c. s. SPINNEY 3,

MATTRESS HANDLE PRESS Filed June 15, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 rates 3,064,264 MATTRESS HANDLE PRESS Clayton S. Spinney, Greenland, NJ-L, assignor to The Morley Company, Portsmouth, N.H., a corporation of Maine Filed June 13, 1961, Ser. No. 116,846 13 (Ziairns. (Cl. 1318) ilnite tress. It is thus a primary object of the present invention to provide apparatus for applying handles to such material quickly and cheaply and with as little human supervision as possible.

Further objects are to provide such apparatus which is largely automatic, Which is highly reliable, which forms a very secure attachment between handle and fabric, which is not subject to rapid wear, which is easily adjusted and repaired, which is compact, and which is relatively inexpensive.

In achieving these objects the invention contemplates a press which will apply handles having pre-attached pronged fasteners of the type in which the prongs are adapted to engage a locking ring. The press has a reciprocating head which forces the prongs of the fastener through the fabric and into a closing die which turns the prongs. In a preferred embodiment a plurality of closing dies are provided and are spaced around a disk which is rotated so as to bring successive dies into position below the head. Preferably there is provided means for automatically loading locking rings into the closing dies as the disk rotates. Preferably also there is provided a means for feeding handles successively into the reciprocating path of the head so that the head with each stroke carries a handle into engagement with the fabric.

For purposes of illustration a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a top view of a handle attaching press;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the press;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the press;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a prong fastener;

FIG. 5 is a section on the line 55 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a section on the line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a section on the line 77 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a section on the line 88 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is similar to FIG. 8 with the head being shown in its lower position;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 in section and to a larger scale;

FIG. 11 is a back view of a piece of fabric with a pronged fastener and locking ring attached; and

FIG. 12 is a schematic representation of the pneumatic control system for the press.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the press is built around a frame 10 which includes a top cantilevered portion 12 and a bed 14. The space between the portion 12 and the bed 14 constitutes a path for a strip of fabric material 16 (shown in dot-dash lines) to which handles are to be applied. In the portion 12 of the frame there is journaled a head 20 which includes a pair of spaced driving dies 22. The head 20 is adapted to be driven downwardly by a toggle linkage 24 whose upper end is pivoted to the frame 10 and whose lower end is pivoted to the head 20. The height of the upper pivot 26 may be adjusted by means of the bolts 28 and the lock nuts Patented Nov. 20, 1962 30 so that the lowermost position of the head 20 may be correspondingly adjusted. For straightening the toggle linkage 24 and thus driving the head 20 downwardly, there is provided a pneumatic cylinder 32 whose one end is pivotally connected to the frame 10 by the arm 34 and whose piston 36 is connected to the central or swinging pivot 38 of the toggle linkage 24.

For the handles to be applied, there is provided an arched guideway 40 (FIG. 3) whose upper end extends over the press so that handles may be easily loaded into the apparatus from the front of the press and thence conducted by gravity to the reciprocating head 20. The handles 42 (FIGS. 7 and 8) are provided with pre-attached pronged fasteners 44 which, as may be seen in FIG. 4, include a plurality of pointed prongs 46. These prongs fit in corresponding slots in the ends of the handle (FIGS. 8 and 10) and, before attachment to the fabric strip, are held there by friction. After proceeding down the guideway 49 the handles 42 arrive at a positioner 5% (FIGS. 7, 8 and 9) which is attached to the frame 16 and which includes the pair of pivoted arms 52 which are biased by the spring 54 to hold the leading handle in the path of the reciprocating head 20. The arm 52 hold the handle by tapered edges 56 so that, as the head 20 comes down and the driving dies 22 engage the correspondingly spaced fasteners 44, the handle is taken from the positioner 50 and carried down into engagement with the fabric 1'6. To prevent the possible bowing of the handles the head 20 is provided with a spring loaded pin 59 which bears lightly against the central portion of each handle 42 as it is fastened to the fabric strip.

On the opposite side of the fabric 16 and positioned by means to be explained hereinafter, there is a closing die 60 (FIG. 10). Resting in this die, is a locking ring 62. As the driving dies 22 continue downwardly the prongs 46 of the fastener 44 are driven through the fabric and are turned outwardly by engagement with the closing die 60 so as to engage and lock with the locking ring 62 in the manner shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. Preferably, there is provided concentric with the driving die 22 and fastened to the head 20 by the same screw 23, a permanent magnet 19 for holding the fasteners 44 in proper alignment with the dies 22 in the interval between leaving the positioner 50 and engaging the fabric 16.

So that the locking rings 62 may be automatically provided as needed, the press includes a plurality of closing dies 60 which are spaced around the peripheries of a pair of disks 65 which may be rotated so as to bring successive locking dies 60 into position under the respective driving dies 22. The disks 65 are set into the bed 14 of the press so as to provide a firm support for the fastener closing action. At a portion of each disk removed from the operating position, there is provided a locking ring tube 67 (FIGS. 1 and 2) which is adapted to drop a single locking ring into each empty closing die 60 as it passes 'by the tube.

For rotating the disk 65 there is provided a second pneumatic cylinder 70 (FIGS. 5 and 6) which is adapted to move the levers 72, 74 and 76 so as to rotate the ratchet drive 78 which in turn unidirectionally rotates the disks 65. An adjustable stop 79 limits the extent of this movement. The exact positioning of each disk 65 for the proper making of the fasteners 44 and the locking rings 62 is accomplished by an indexing pin 80 (FIG. 1) which is urged into engagement with corresponding indentations 82 on the disks 65 by the spring 84.

to straighten the toggle linkage 24 thereby driving the head 20. downwardly so as to pick up a handle 42 and drive the prongs 46 of its corresponding fasteners 44 into engagement with awaiting locking ring 62. At the same time, piston 71 f the cylinder 70 will be withdrawn; however this will not rotate the disk 65 as this rotation is opposite that transmitted by the ratchet drive 78.v

When the securing of the handle is completed, the switch lever 86 is released and the head is withdrawn by the cylinder 32. Again simultaneously air is provided to the cylinder 70 causing the drive 78 to be rotated in a counterclockwise direction as seen in FIG. 5. This rotation;will bring another closing die 60 carrying a locking ring 62 into position undereach driving die 22 and thus.

the cycle is ready to begin again.-

In the preferred embodiment there is also provided, though not shown in the other views for purposes of clarity, a plurality of air jets 88 and 90. The jets 88 are oriented so as to provide a force urging the next handle 42 in the guide 40 into the positioner 50. ''This force is in addition to the gravitational force exerted by any other handles in the guide and helps. to overcome the resilience of the spring 54. The jets 90 are oriented adjacentthe disks 65 so as to empty each closing die 60 just before that die passes beneath the loading "tube 67 thereby to avoid jamming of the apparatus if a fastener fails to properly engage its locking ring.

It should be understood that this disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that the present invention includes all modifications and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims.

1. For applying to-a strip elongate handles having preattached pronged fasteners spaced apart a predetermined distance lengthwise of the handles, apparatus comprising a -frame; having a bed over which the strip may. be. drawn,

a reciprocatory head mounted in said frame above the bed with driving dies spaced apart said-predetermined distance, means including a plurality offfastener-closing' dies under said dies below the bed for positioning fastener closures, and means for guiding handles over the-bed to a position in which said fasteners are between said driving and closing dies respectively.

2. For applying to a strip elongate handles having preattached pronged fasteners spaced apart a predetermined distance lengthwise of the handles, apparatus comprising a frame having a bed over which the; strip may be drawn,

a reciprocatory head mounted in said frame above the bed with driving dies spaced apart in one direction said predetermined distance, meansincluding a plurality of fastener-closing dies under said dies below the bed for positioning fastener closures, and means for guiding said handles over the bed transversely to said direction to a position in which said fasteners are between said driving and closing dies respectively.

4 7 3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said last means includes spaced guides engaging the ends of the elongate handles.

4. Apparatus for applying handles having two preattached pronged fasteners to afabric strip comprising a frame having a bed over which a fabric strip may be drawn, a reciprocable head journaled in said frame above,- the bed and having a pair of spaced driving dies, means for guiding handles into the path of said head above the bed with the fasteners positioned beneath said driving dies, a pair of discs Set into said bed beneath said head, each of which discs has on one face thereof and equally spaced around its periphery a plurality of fastener closing 'dies, and means, on the opposite side of each disc from said head, for loading fastener closing rings into said closing dies. 3

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 'andfurther comprising: a manual switch, means, responsive to the movement of said switch in one direction, for driving said head through a fastener closing stroke; and means, responsive.

to the movement of the switch in the other direction, for

causing each of said discs to advance another closing die into position under said head.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4, and further c,omprising a toggle link for reciprocating said head and an,

air cylinder for driving said togglelink at its middle pivot;

7. Apparatus according to claim 4, in which the meansfor guiding handles includes an arcuate handle guide? which arches from over said frame tothe path of said head whereby handles may be gravity fed. into the path of said driving dies.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, and further com-"2' be releasably held with one of said closing dies locatedprecisely under one of said driving dies exceptwhen said:

' discs are. being rotated.

11. Apparatusaccording toclaim 4, and further comprising means. for rotating each of said discs between References Cited in the .file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS;

1,184,073 Choate .a May 23; 1916 1,207,964 Mahler Dec. 12, 1916" 2,718,004 Steinmetz Jam- 1mi s.

S pt 119. 5. 

